The Scars of a Phantom
by tie-dye-flag
Summary: In the final duel between Link and Bellum, there was another kind of battle going on beyond the one taking place on the Ghost Ship's broken deck. A clash that no one really questioned or thought about. It was a struggle that left behind the scars of a phantom on the poor captain's body and mind.


**AN: Warning-there is some mild cussing. This fic is a bit on the creepy side, unlike my other fics. Oh, and this fic is not yaoi. Sorry, fangirls, but this is not LxL or LxB. I suppose it _can_ be if you want (I'm okay either way if you like yaoi or not), but please keep in mind that that is not what I intended while reading this.**

* * *

Agitated waters sloshed about under an enraged sky as two very different ships sailed through the troubled sea. One was large with a deteriorating hull and sails. It looked like a ship fit for the dead or cursed. As if that wasn't unsettling enough, living blobs of purple goop with yellow eyeballs poking out of them sprouted from various spots of the ship.

The terrifying vessel was being pursued by a boat of much smaller stature and design; a steamboat with a sleek white hull while pumping puffs of hot steam out of a skinny chimney. Rope railings and golden letters on the side reading _S.S. Linebeck _made this boat much more human than the other ship. At the edge of the bow a young boy clad in a green tunic with blonde hair stood glaring his green eyes at the larger vessel.

"Fire!"

**BOOM!**

A sturdy canon, standing proudly above the boat, shot out a canon ball straight for one of the eyeballs. It hit the target with a satisfying bang. Something within the spooky ship groaned with pain as if the very boat was alive.

"Fire!"

**BOOM!**

Another bang, but a little louder. The explosions could be heard from even below the deck, where a man in a dark blue coat gave the helm a spin, shifting the rudder in a new direction.

"Shoot until the canon barrel catches on fire! You hear me, kid?"

Through a window, the captain saw the lad wave back, responding to the man's shout. The boy pointed the canon at another disgusting glob on the ship.

"Fire!"

Tightly clutching on a red lever, the man pulled the switch down, releasing a heavy canon ball. It hit another glob on the ship successfully.

"Yes! A direct hit! You're almost as amazing as I am, kid!"

"Oh, really?" A high pitched voice sarcastically jingled in the man's pointed ear.

"Hey, not now, sparkles! You're distracting me!" He waved his hand, intending to swat the voice away. The voice belonged to a small yellow fairy fluttering near the man's shoulder, dodging his hand with ease.

"It's Celia, NOT sparkles, Captain Coward!"

"That's Captain Linebeck to you, pipsqueak!"

"Hey! Don't make me pull out my hammer!"

_TOCK!_

"Enough." An elderly voice commanded. A short old man with an impressive grey beard leaned on a tall, red cane that sported a conch decoration on the top. He banged his staff against the wooden floor again, resulting in another 'tock'.

"We don't have time for the two of you to argue. We must concentrate on pursuing Bellum and the Ghost Ship! Understand?"

"Yes, grandpa." Celia chirped while backing away from the captain.

"Hmph! Now where were we…" Linebeck twisted the wheel again, steering towards the ghost ship's starboard.

On the deck of the eerie ship three slimy globs standing upright somewhat glared their unnatural yellow eyes right back at the heroes. Link aimed the canon with gritted teeth.

"Fire!"

**BOOM!**

"Fire!"

**BOOM!**

"Fire!"

**KA-BOOM!**

Now free of purple slimes of eyeballs, the ghost ship began to crumble and sink into the freezing salt water. It exploded into pieces, littering the surface of the ocean with would-be driftwood.

"Had enough punishment from the S.S. Linebeck?!" The captain boasted loudly.

"Yes! Take that, Bellum!" Celia cheered while zipping back and forth Linebeck's head. Even Link, the quiet boy in green, could be seen pumping his arms in the air.

"Wait…but what about Tetra?"

A moment of silence settled under the deck at the fairy's words. Tetra, the young pirate taken by Bellum was probably still somewhere near the Ghost Ship remains.

"…Well, then we have to climb on board what's left of that old vessel and investigate!"

* * *

"Look, it's Tetra, Link!"

Celia's words could not have been more accurate-lying motionlessly on what was left of the ghost ship's deck was Link's blonde friend. Before the boy could approach her, a large monster smashed out from below the wood, wrapping its tentacle around her torso and carrying her up and away. It floated up and crashed its yellow-brown body against a thick mast with tattered red sails.

The cracking of weakened wood vibrated through the atmosphere, followed by the falling of the thick mast. Under gravity's firm grip, the heavy mass fell down behind the hero, fairy, and captain.

Directly on top of the S.S. Linebeck and Oshus, sending them into the cold water of the sea.

The trio whipped around, only catching a glimpse of the final moments of the Ocean King and the beloved steamship.

"GRANDPA!" Celia shrieked at the top of her tiny lungs.

"My SHIP!" Linebeck could merely wail as he flung his hands on his head in distress.

"Forget the ship! Grandpa was –"

_Swat! _

The yellow ball of sparkles was slapped aside like a fly by something purple. She was sent flying into the water with a soft _plop!_

"Pipsqueak!"

Linebeck looked at the spot of the water where the fairy fell, and then shifted his gaze in front of him. What he saw sent frightened chills down his spine; Bellum hovering in the air as he held an unconscious Tetra in one tentacle and a struggling Link in another, leaving the other three limbs dangling freely in the air.

_"Oh no…no no no! What the hell do I do?!"_

He backed up a couple of steps from the monster who was busy examining the two teenagers as if debating which one to eat first. The heel of his boot stepped onto something, causing his head to turn around out of natural curiosity.

The Phantom Sword sat at his feet, gleaming in the pale light of the environment. His eyes widened, realizing the boy was not only in the clutches of an oversized squid, but also unarmed. He shot his eyes back to the monster, then back at the weapon.

Hesitantly he reached out his trembling hand around the sword. The weight of the weapon was unlike anything he had ever laid his hands on. It was heavy with the purpose to kill and destroy monsters.

_"I-I can't believe I'm actually doing this…_"

One of Bellum's free tentacles dangled in front of Linebeck. It nearly batted the captain in the face had he not pointed the sword into the eye.

The monster suddenly turned his attention to the man, blinking his main eyeball at him with surprise. Linebeck gulped, standing in the middle of the deck with shaking knees. The blade in his right hand quivered in his sweaty grip. He gave the weapon a single swipe horizontally against the tentacle and the monster shrieked with pain, tossing the two blondes from his grip.

Link was sent flying behind where the captain stood. The boy blacked out the moment his head hit the deck. Meanwhile Bellum crashed down at Linebeck's feet. He continued to clumsily swing the Phantom Sword in front of him as he desperately yelled at Link.

"Hey, Link! Wake up! WAKE UP, LINK!"

_Swipe!_

"Whoa! Watch where you're swinging that thing!"

The captain blinked. "Whoa-Sparkles? That you?"

The fairy, now out of the drink and dripping wet, bobbed up and down in a nod. "Yea-LOOK OUT!"

"Eh-AH!"

One of Bellum's tentacles waved at Linebeck. He swung the sword in the air once again.

"Pipsqueak! Make yourself useful and wake Link up, will ya'?"

"Right!" She zipped to the young boy, poking her wing at his face.

"C'mon, Link, wake up! Now!"

Slowly the hero cracked open his eyes, becoming one with the living once again. He caught sight of Tetra lying on her side on another broken piece of the deck floating nearby, but that wasn't the only thing catching his attention. A few meters away stood Linebeck, still swinging the Phantom Sword aimlessly at the evil phantom before him.

"Wake up! Hurry up already, kid!" He yelled. The captain attempted to sprint away from the fiend, but he was suddenly caught as a pair of tentacles wrapped around his upper arms, stopping him in his tracks.

Link gasped sharply as he got to his feet. The older man tugged with all of his strength, but it was useless. Gritting his teeth, he clenched his fists and muscles as he pulled back his right arm.

"Link!" Linebeck somehow threw the sword from his hand, sending it spinning in the air. The boy caught it with a roll and flashed the weapon into the air. The Phantom Sword was back into the hand of a practiced wielder.

Meanwhile, Bellum rose from the ground, still keeping a firm grip on the struggling man. He eyed the captain as if he was a juicy specimen for a science experiment. The large eyeball in his fang infected mouth narrowed suspiciously.

The phantom wrapped the rest of his tentacles around Linebeck's body, catching the human by surprise.

"WHOA! Ugh…WHAT?!" He pulled at the coiling limbs around his torso. "Let go of me, you monster!" He tugged again, but with no success. "Get off of me, you devil!"

All of a sudden, the captain's heartbeat began to thump in a strange way. It was heavier than normal, as if pumping some thick, foreign fluid through his veins. An unfamiliar pang shot up his spine where Bellum had attached his body to the man's.

_"Ugh…this isn't good…what the hell is going on?!"_

Linebeck's knees shook and he shakily fell to the ground. With a blurry vision and the roar of blood in his ears, his breathing grew harsher. His entire body felt weak under the sharp grip of the fiend.

_"Dammit…this is bad…"_

A surging pain ran through every nerve in his body as if he was being electrocuted. The shout that came from his throat was something between a human in pain and a monster in misery. Everything grew dark purple and swirled like an insane merry-go-round. The next thing his scrambled brain knew he had stopped, but his already foggy line of vision seemed higher, as if he had gained a couple of feet in height. Staring up at him was the little boy in green with wide green eyes.

"L-Link…" He tried to call his friend's name. Linebeck could barely recognize the taste of his own mouth. Before he could make another move, his vision grew pitch black.

* * *

"Ugh…what in Din's name happened?"

Linebeck muttered as he carefully reopened his eyes. After blinking several times, he got a good look at his surroundings-and it was NOT the Ghost Ship's deck out in the middle of the ocean. Everything was a monochromatic world of red and in bizarre shapes or shadows. As he pushed up from his palms get off the ground, he noticed the floor beneath his hands was not fully solid, but a little wet and squishy.

"Ew…gross…" The captain raised a hand to his face, discovering it to be coated in a thin layer of red fluid with a peculiar consistency.

"Funny. You're calling your own flesh and blood gross."

Linebeck whipped around to the new voice. There was a haze in the air, casting the voice's owner as an odd silhouette.

"Wh-who the hell are you?! A-a-and where am I?!"

"Boy, you humans are so quick to panic sometimes."

The man squinted his eyes. He still couldn't make out any details about the other person, but the voice at least sounded male.

The captain got to his feet, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of standing on the bizarre floor. "I said who the hell are you and where am I, dammit!"

"Hmph. You sailors are an interesting breed-always cussing about one thing or another."

This time the mystery person slowly emerged from the fog. Linebeck narrowed his eyes, noticing the unusual floating movement. The shapes formed into long tentacles with familiar yellow eyes. The captain gasped sharply for air with horrifying recognition.

"H-hey! You're that monster that attacked me! B-Bellum!"

"I wouldn't exactly call that an 'attack', but…whatever." Two of the phantom's long limbs touched the ground like feet while the unsettling eyeballs still stared at the man. The large eyeball sitting in his mouth harbored a bored expression, if that was even possible for a creature without a proper face.

"What'd you do to me back there!? I bet you ruined my blue coat! This thing cost a pretty rupee, for your information!" Linebeck tugged at the huge sleeves of his jacket and carefully looked over the deep blue fabric, checking for damage.

"…Really? A monster has just possessed your body and all you can worry about is an old coat?" Another one of Bellum's tentacles made a sarcastic gesture in the air like a hand. "You humans are-"

"W-wait-you just possessed _what?!_"

"Your body. Are you deaf? Or are those pointy ears just for decoration?"

The sailor's pupils dilated to the size of a mosquito's head. His already weak legs wobbled even more like they were filled with jelly. Coarse fingers ran feverishly through locks of brown-green hair, clutching onto the roots.

"Wh-what…? My body? B-but…I'm right here! A-and why are you doing this? And how the hell are you talking?!" He pointed at the bored beast with a wavering hand.

The phantom's body heaved up and then down slightly, sighing. He leaned backwards into the hazy air. The blood red surroundings merged and grew quickly into a chair around the monster's body.

"Well, yes, your conscience is here, in your mind. Or brain, to be more precise."

"My-my brain?" Linebeck raised his boot from the murky red floor, grimacing. This was his own blood and brain tissue. "Ugh…nasty…" He shook his head. "Argh, forget that-if this is inside my body, then what's going on outside?"

"…Do you wish to see?"

Before the man could reply, his heart pumped heavily, altering his vision. In between heartbeats, he caught glimpses of a scene happening back on the broken deck of the ghost ship; Link ran and ducked frantically under a heavy sword accompanied by a pair of armor-gloved hands. The young hero had several scratches on his face with a couple of cuts on his green tunic. Celia fluttered about his blonde head in a panicky manner. Linebeck couldn't make out any words, but it was obvious that the persistent fairy was yelling in the boy's ear.

The hand drew its sword down again, nearly shaving off some of Link's hair. Swiftly the muscular arm prepared for the next swing. The boy's green eyes widened with fear as the arm came crashing down.

Linebeck's arm.

"_Wait…What the-"_

The old sailor breathed heavily as he tried to process what exactly was going on. The way it looked made it seem like _he_ was wielding the enormous sword, attacking the boy. And he could vaguely feel his body moving on its own, without its master's orders.

His mammoth sized sword was swung again in front of his chest, aiming to chop the boy into pieces.

"_No…no no no NO NO! Stop! You can't do this!"_

Although Linebeck tried to stop his deadly movements, his body would not listen to his wishes. The man's limbs and torso were nothing but pieces of a marionette, and he no longer had a hold of the strings. Someone else did.

"No! Stop! Make it stop!"

A harsh heartbeat later, his vision returned to the inside of his brain. His eyes focused on his trembling hands, shocked by the deeds they were forced to commit in the physical world. Panting, he tucked them under his armpits and whipped his head around, looking for some way out of this nightmare. What he found sitting in front of him instead was anything but that.

Bellum, the evil master of all the monsters of the ocean, still sat on the bloody chair from earlier, but over the period of time, it had sprouted more decorations of octos and hourglass patterns. It now towered over the large creature.

And the style in which he sat on the throne made the sight even more unnatural. Two of his lower tentacles crossed over one another like a pair of legs while another pair were bent in the middle, the 'elbows' resting on the armrests and the flat ends of the limbs meshing together in a similar manner to a pair of hands. The final appendage was motionless and lied limply behind the monster's 'torso'. All six of his eyes pierced their gazes into the man's soul.

"That pesky hero keeps getting in my way. My normal form, the old temple, the ghost ship…he bested all of my tricks and traps. But here's a question for you," he paused briefly, noting the man's shock on his rough face.

"What will a hero do if he must destroy his own friend?"

Linebeck gasped sharply for breath. The monster paid his shock no mind and continued.

"You're will is pathetically weak, making you a perfect target to possess and manipulate. The process of taking control of a weaker being involves injecting large amounts of my blood-phantom blood, to be exact. The power of this blood in your veins gives me the reins and transforms your body into what I can conjure up with your own flesh." His tentacle clenched into what could be presumed as a fist. "One of the few good qualities of humans is their core build-although you're not particularly muscular, the human body is built to be able to move and flex freely. This characteristic is commonly utilized in traditional warfare in your species history, and it was something I also utilized in designing and creating my minions-the Phantoms. And I'm using you to make my greatest monster yet."

Evil shadows crept onto the phantom's eye, sending shivers up the man's spine. "In effect, you are now a monster." He let loose a low, chilling chuckle, dark enough to shatter delicate glass.

Bellum…This monster…there was nothing human about its appearance, and earlier it had acted like a savage animal from the untamed seas. A ruthless, wild, squid. But now…the being behaved and interacted with the intelligence of a man. An animal that had consumed and tormented humans for so long it had begun to soak in some human traits. It was a cross of a rabid organism and a coolly composed madman in this state.

"Wh…wh-what?" Linebeck's knees collapsed to the ground, casting the man in a pitiful light. "I-I'm a monster…? Me?" He pulled out his hands, still trembling. "No…I can't…I'm not…I'm not a monster…! N-not like you, you devil!" His glare pierced Bellum the best he could with mustered bravery, but there was still evident fear in his voice.

"Well, it depends on what you call a monster. You humans have many definitions of the term…you call an unfamiliar animal a monster, even if it's innocent. You also call a person who behaves in an 'uncivilized' manner a monster, even though he or she is your own kind. The list goes on and on and on…" The beast suddenly grumbled, "Not that I particularly care…"

"What? W-why?"

"I am Bellum, the master of all Phantoms in existence, of the natural evils of the sea, the life devouring creature. What need do I have to pay any mind to how your kind lives? My sole reason of living is to consume life force, and my belly constantly craves for more…" Drool lazily oozed out of the corner of the eye in his mouth. "That old sea pickle of an ocean king had plenty of it, but of course I wasn't satisfied. I used my precious ghost ship to lure in foolish humans to drain what little life force they had. It brought in a steady source of food for me and my creations…until you and your wretched ship destroyed it."

He slowly wiped some saliva with his free tentacle. The eye on the back of the limb glared at the man. "How am I supposed to satisfy my constantly growling belly without that ship…? Simple. You."

A shimmering sheen of sweat coated Linebeck's forehead as he yelled, "What in Farore's name do you mean by that!?"

Before Bellum could reply, the entire demented world began to tremble violently. A disturbing earthquake shook Bellum's chair to a meek pile of sloppy ooze. Frustrated, he floated up.

"Hmm…pesky spirit of courage…"

A portal big enough to fit a large hand opened to the beast's left. He stuck his tentacle out, fidgeted with it for a minute, and then retreated his limb, closing the window in space.

"There. That should do for now…"

"Wait...what did you do to sparkles?"

"Eh? You mean that fairy?"

"Of course I mean her, dammit! What'd you do with her?"

"She was giving assistance to that young boy to harm my body. She's clever, I'll give her that…targeting only my body, the eye on your back, to save you from danger…but I can't let those two get in my way of my meal." Eerie gleams glistened off every one of his eyes. "I simply tucked her away in my grasp while that boy deals with you all alone."

"N…no. No, this…this can't be happening." Breathing heavily Linebeck ran his fingers through his unkempt hair, trying to make some degree of sense of this nightmare. "I can't…I can't hurt him…I can't hurt them…No! This…this is just a bad dream…y-yeah, a bad dream!"

Something gave him a harsh slap to his right cheek, causing his chin to hit his shoulder.

"Ow!"

"Nope. This is not a dream. This is what's really happening." Bellum lowered the tentacle that had slapped the man. "I'm using you to kill that annoying little brat to get him out of the way."

Kill. This menace means to use him to kill his friend. To send that young treasure dog to his grave.

"Damn you, you bastard!" The captain spat. "Damn you son of a bitch and your damn army! D-damn you!" A tear swiftly ran down his cheek and dropped to the blood red ground."What then, you monster? What good will killing that boy do to you?!"

"Don't you see? Once he's out of the equation, I can feast on his life force, and I sense he has quite a bit of it for a human…"

"Yeah? But what then? He's just one child! I highly doubt the life force of a single kid would be enough to tide over that black hole of a stomach you've got!"

"Of course. He's just an appetizer. I think I'll snack on those fairies next…starting with the yellow one."

"Wh-what?"

"Yes…once that hero and his fairies are gone, then nothing will stop my feast of life force! And in this form, the possibilities are endless! I can consume as much life as I want with no one to stop me! You're body is now my tool to serve me in my banquet for eternity as I feed of every life form in existence!"

Linebeck, shivering as if he was in the middle of a snowstorm with no clothes, clenched his fists and kneeled over the floor in despair. He was bound by the tentacles of this monster forever to kill and destroy life. No…this wasn't what he wanted. In his life, he was greedy for treasure and self-centered, but he never had any desire or wish to end the life of anyone. He was a sailor, not a killer!

"No…I can't. I c-can't kill my friends!"

"Friends...? Ah, yes, you're a lonely sailor, 'braving' the seas all by yourself." Amused, the monster floated in circles around the captain. "You've spent most of your life alone, at sea and on land. You have rarely come close enough to a person to consider them your 'friend'. You just hunted for treasure with your own company. Until you came across that boy in green, however…"

Linebeck stared up at the phantom with the color of fear coating his eyes. The corners of Bellum's mouth turned up slightly in a faint, twisted grin as the eye in the middle shot out its spooky glare.

"Ah, you're wondering why I know such intimate things of yourself, no? Possessing your body means implanting my conscience into your mind. This gives me the ability to communicate and understand you- in the bare mind, there is no definite language, but simple ideas and thoughts. Also, taking over your body gifts me with all of your knowledge and memories. I can simple browse through the library of your brain as much as I please."

He floated higher above the trembling man. "Hmm…that boy and little fairy were the first actual people that you considered your 'friends'. Who shall be next on my menu…or your 'to kill' list? Perhaps that friendly bar owner on Mercay Island? Or a few acquainted sailors you've met over your career as a captain?" He paused. "…or maybe that she-pirate? Jolene? Isn't that her name?"

Linebeck's eyes shrank to the size of an atom at that name. That pretty name that always sent a sting through his heart. Oh no…

"No…no, I…I can't let y-you…" The man's voice, at first a whisper, gradually grew in volume, ending with a shout. "I w-won't let you! You hear me, you damn monster!?"

"Oh, really?" Skepticism iced over Bellum's low voice. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm in charge of your body's actions now. And I'm not going to give up the reins so easily."

"You're wrong…" He whispered hoarsely. "As long as I'm still conscious here, I can still try to control my body. It's…it's just two people in the same body. At the moment, you're in the lead, but… n-not if I can help it!"

"Pah. I'd like to see a weak willed man like you try."

As Bellum muttered his words, he suddenly blinked. The pitiful man before him had squeezed his jaded eyes shut in concentration with scrunched eyebrows and a focused grimace on his mouth.

_Ka-bump!_

A loud thump-a heartbeat- echoed throughout the world of blood and brain tissue. In the outside world, the massive phantom hesitated mid-swing of his sword.

"Humph! You'll have to do better than that to get control of your body back!"

Bellum drove his tentacles into the mushy ground of tissue. The sailor whined; having a squid stick its limbs into your brain was not a comfortable experience. The monster blood in his veins battled with his own body fluid, fighting for dominance.

* * *

Meanwhile, the possessed body in the physical reality continued to attack the boy, but his movements were more sluggish. One of Bellum's tentacles loosened its grip on Celia.

"Huh…? Hey, Link, his grip is loosening!" The fairy shouted. "Now's the time for a Phantom Sphere!" A glowing, orange sphere of energy sprang out of the fairy's wings. Wasting no time, Link seized the ball of power and dashed away from the Phantom's sword.

"…Link, now!" The spirit yelled with her excited eyes seeing the monster's back eye open up. "Stop time now! His eye is open!"

Link nodded and spun his sword in a figure eight. A split second later, everything grew as still and silent as a black and white photograph. The world became one of shades of grey and not the slightest whisper.

But the boy didn't waste time noting the change. He had done it before in the depths of the Ocean King Temple, and knew this pause in time would only last a handful of seconds. The hero ran behind the phantom, discovering the monster's spooky eye frozen in time. Tightening his grip on the hilt, he thrust his sharp blade into the eyeball.

After a few more slices, time began to flow forward again, sending the phantom sliding back, grunting with pain.

* * *

The events of the outside faintly vibrated through the man's brain. Bellum growled with rage and agony, sharply pulling his tentacles out of the fleshy ground.

"Great. Now _you're_ getting in my way."

Linebeck weakly croaked "G-good." A half smirk found its way onto his lips. "…What now, bitch?"

The moment that insult passed the captain's tongue, Bellum zoomed forward and kicked the man in the gut.

"OOF!" He felt his breath burst out of his lungs as he fell across the floor and landed on his backside.

"Ow…" He mumbled as he sat up. Before he could draw another breath, the phantom hit him sharply in the face, and then again on the other side.

"Ugh, damnit…" The sailor rubbed his sore face with a rough hand, but then smirked again. "Wh-what's the matter, you monster? A-angry now, bastard?"

"How in Nayru's name is your body resisting my commands? You're such a weak willed human …"

Not waiting for a reply, the phantom used his tentacles to punch the man's conscience. He then summoned the blood from the floor to rise up, forming into more wiggling tentacles. They shot out towards the man and coiled tightly around his limbs, rooting him in his place.

"There's no way you can completely regain your body back from me. You do realize that, don't you? Or is your skull thicker than it looks?"

"I-I do know that." The captain croaked. "B-but I can slow you down, you devil…"

"…Fine, I'll play along; what good will it do to slow me down? You can still hurt that boy and he'll either be killed or have to kill you. If he dies, then I can use you to consume more life. However, if that boy has any wish to life a few moments longer, then he'll have no other option to kill you. However, I will _not _allow him to destroy my precious pawn. And slowing down your movements will only help him assassinate you!"

"N-no…he won't do that. And even if he did…then that'd be fine."

"Eh?"

"Th-think about it. If I'm dead then you're back to your bare state-and the kid was able to do some damage to you like that. You'd be vulnerable to his sword."

"…But you said he wouldn't." Bellum's eye shrank in suspicion as he focused on the man while the bloody tentacles clenched onto the sailor. "So what then?"

"He'll stick that blade right into that sick eye on my back, killing _you_. I…I-I know he'd do that. That's just the kind of treasure dog he is." A faint chuckle crawled up his throat. "Not that I'd say all this to his face…"

Before he could go on, another bloody limb shot up, making sharp contact with the space between his legs. Tears of pain appeared at the corners of his eyes as he yelped.

"But I bet it must be hard for you to at least attempt to control your body while your mind is in so much pain, no?" Bellum slapped at the worn sailor's face sharply. "I will _not_ let you of all things interfere with my perfect plan for an endless banquet of life force."

The captain, now bruised, shut his eyes in concentration yet again, but found the blood limbs tugging at his arms and legs in opposite directions. He swallowed his scream while the phantom remained coolly composed.

"I can't kill you physically, but I can eliminate your soul and existence here. And I'm not afraid to do so-"

He was cut off as the world began to rumble violently. The red ropes holding the poor captain crumbled and melted into feeble blobs at his feet. His weak knees buckled as he collapsed to the ground.

Meanwhile the phantom roared with rage and pain. Every single one of his eyes dripped with icy fury.

"Grrrr! Pathetic hero! Stupid Spirit of Courage!"

Linebeck rubbed his aching head with his hand. A sudden thought pierced his brain.

"_While that monster was busy dealing with me…he must have let down his guard outside…giving the kid an opening to attack!"_

"Yes! The treasure dog pulled through!"

Bellum whipped around to the mortal with deadly eyes. The pupils almost glowed red, but that may have been due to the cowardly captain's imagination.

"You…you… you WRETCHED PEST!"

"Oh shit…"

Fear overtook his body as he sprang up from the decaying floor and ran off with a furious phantom at his heels. He ran as fast as he could, but his limbs felt like they were filled with dull lead.

Panting heavily, the sailor suddenly tripped and crashed face first into the ground. The impact sounded like a nuclear bomb had gone off in his head. Blood roared in his ears once again and his vision grew dimmer. The ghost of vomit rose in his throat. Afraid, he looked over his shoulder.

Bellum was being sucked away as if an imaginary black hole was pulling him into nothing. The monster's features grew distorted and grotesque with his horrifying, evil eyeball glaring at the sailor. A strident, ear-splitting roar erupted from the phantom. It was a scene that would haunt Linebeck's nightmares for the rest of his lifetime.

His mind grew blank and became lost in the darkness of unconsciousness.

* * *

Once the whole battle was over, Linebeck woke up. Link was covered in scratches and bruises, the Ocean King regained his true form, and Tetra was among the living again. The captain got his wish granted, the fairies and their god vanished in the fog, and the young hero and his pirate friend braved the seas once again.

Linebeck accompanied his friends in their search for a 'new Hyrule' in his trusted old steamship, good as new from the Ocean King himself. He was still the cowardly, treasure hungry captain they had all known and loved, but there was something slightly different with him. Ever since that battle on the broken Ghost Ship.

The difference went deeper than the strange blemishes on his back where the monster had latched onto him. It went further than the new habit he had to shift his gaze to his injured back in the mirror of the bathroom. The scars of a phantom cut to the deepest of the nerves of one's memories and soul, and they were scars that the experienced sailor would never fully forget.

* * *

**AN: What did you think? I was experimenting with a more lengthy, descriptive style of writing. Was I too long or should I stick to my normal, shorter technique?**

**Either way, I hoped you enjoyed this! :)**


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